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A Christmas Carol. The stage at Alexandra Palace Theatre in London set for a performance of A Christmas Carol in December 2021. A Christmas Carol, the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens (1812–1870), is one of the English author's best-known works.
- Scrooge, Or, Marley's Ghost
- Scrooge
- Rich Little's Christmas Carol
- The Stingiest Man in Town
- Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
- Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol
- A Christmas Carol: The Musical
- Ms. Scrooge
- Christmas Carol: The Movie
- Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol
Directed by Walter R. Booth
This first adaptation isn't really included in the rankings since it's such an obscure one, but since it's the oldest known film version in existence, I had to at least bring it to your attention. Directed by Walter R. Booth and produced by R.W. Paulin 1901, the British short film featured an unidentified actor playing Scrooge. Though only four minutes and 55 seconds of the six-minute-and-20-second-long film are available to curious audiences, at least the 35mm reel is preserved by the Britis...
Directed by Ronald Neame
There's pretty much a version of Scrooge for everyone out there, but five-time Oscar-nominated actor Albert Finney is most decidedly not for me. There's something about his performance that is strange and off-putting. Perhaps it's his penchant for lurching about with a twisted grimace and a hunched back, or the fact that his character can't quite seem to come to grips with the lessons the spirits are trying to teach him. Then there's the fact that this is a musical rendition of the tale, and...
Directed by Rich Little
Like the version above and those that follow, this take on A Christmas Carol is at least worth a watch if you haven't seen it before. Despite the fact that Dickens' story is a timeless tale, I was a bit surprised to find how dated Rich Little's HBO special was.It's very 1978, owing mostly to Little's shtick that relies heavily on celebrity impersonations and topical humor. The musical numbers and laugh track also add a heavy hand to the comedy routines. If you know the names Paul Lynde,W.C. F...
Directed by Katsuhia Yamada, Jules, Bass & Arthur Rankin Jr.
The Rankin/Bass purists among you probably know that the animation company behind such famous holiday specials as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, and Frosty the Snowman also churned out their own take on A Christmas Carol titled The Stingiest Man in Town. If this comes as news to you, you might also be surprised to learn that the special wasn't produced using claymation-like Animagic, but rather traditional animation. The Japanese animation studio, Topcraft, that broug...
Directed by Abe Levitow
If you're a fan of the nearsighted, 1960s Jim Backus-voiced cartoon character Mister Magoo, then this Christmas special should be a slam dunk for your watchlist. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then this movie is simply a "Pass." It's yet another animated adaptation that skews towards a younger crowd with silly songs and less-than-scary spirits, but these days only adults of a certain age would probably appreciate its charm. There's an interesting theme that pops up in a number of...
Directed by Friz Freleng
Now here's an animated adaptation of a different sort. Rather than set up some sort of elaborate frame story, the Merrie Melodies gang just jumps right into the tale. I appreciate that, just like I appreciate the eight-minute runtime of this short, making it the most economical version since the 1901 silent film in terms of time. However, this is a very loose and silly adaptation that's better left for the little ones to enjoy. Sure, seeing Yosemite Sam blow his stack as a hassled and harasse...
Directed by Arthur Allan Seidlman
We've already featured a feature film, TV special, and cartoon adaptations in our list, but this is our first live-action TV special that's also a musical. And it's not great. Sure, the production quality was solid for television, and eight-time Oscar-winning songwriterAlan Menken certainly brings home the musical portion of the proceedings, but the very "TV actor" cast of Kelsey Grammer, Jason Alexander, Jane Krakowski, Jesse L. Martin, and Jennifer Love Hewittkeep this adaptation from soari...
Directed by John Korty
Ms. Scrooge is our first real departure from A Christmas Carol as a traditional adaptation to more of a contemporary re-imagining. Oscar-winner John Korty directs the Oscar-nominated Cicely Tyson as, wait for it, Ms. Ebenita Scrooge. Now you could easily dismiss this late 90s TV film as a weird one-off in A Christmas Carol history, but it actually has some brilliant moments, such as a sermon delivered by Scrooge's nephew Reverend Luke (Michael Beach) that hammers home the difference between s...
Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami
The next animated film on our list is another attempt to embellish Dickens' original tale and depart from the established storyline. In director Jimmy T. Murakami's version, supporting characters get a chance to shine on their own rather than bask in the light reflected by Scrooge's central storyline. It's an odd choice that offers a bigger role to Scrooge's former flame Belle (voiced by Kate Winslet) and Scrooge's henchman, Old Joe (Robert Llewellyn). Scrooge himself (Simon Callow) is much y...
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
The furthest from the 1901 silent film both in time and technology is Robert Zemeckis' 2009 computer-animated version that starred Jim Carreyas Scrooge and each of the Christmas Spirits. The huge budget for this production was more than made up for by a few weeks atop the box office charts, but the film didn't quite turn into a worldwide blockbuster the way Disney had probably intended. Personally, I blame the Uncanny Valley effect for this film not being bigger than it was. The character des...
- A Christmas Carol (1971) This 1971 Oscar-winning animated short — surprise! — features the voice of the oft-mocked (by me) Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge.
- Scrooge (1970) This Academy Award–nominated musical operates in the same vein as Oliver! and My Fair Lady. It’s big, expansive, and probably the last great crack anybody’s going to have at the classic Hollywood musical for quite some time.
- “A Christmas Carol” (2010) Color me purple, the Doctor Who Christmas special didn’t come to play. Michael Gambon is back in full Scrooge mode as the otherworldly miser Elliot Sardick, with the Doctor (Matt Smith) forced to play the part of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Future, and All Matters Timey-Wimey to save his companions (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) from dying in a spaceship crash.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Michael Caine was never the best Scrooge. His stern commitment to the role is the best part of this eminently quotable, cozy film, but he’s dancing with the Ghost of Christmas Present by the 50-minute mark, for Christ’s sake.
Dec 18, 2023 · Dozens of cinematic adaptations of A Christmas Carol have been released in theaters and on TV since Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost came out in 1901.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Adding The Muppets Was Genius. It's tough to beat classic versions of A Christmas Carol that have been beloved by generations.
- A Christmas Carol (1938) An Early Take. The 1938 adaptation of A Christmas Carol movie starred Reginald Owen and was one of the first feature-length productions of the story to hit the silver screen.
- A Christmas Carol (1984) A Faithful Adaptation. For an entire generation, this version of A Christmas Carol is probably the definitive iteration. Starring George C. Scott as Scrooge, it first aired on CBS in 1984.
- Scrooge (1970) A Christmas Carol On Stage. This musical adaptation of Scrooge became an instant classic and earned Albert Finney a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Oct 31, 2019 · Just how do the many iterations of Dickens' classic tale of redemption stack up? From the total disasters to the heartfelt classics, here are A Christmas Carol adaptations ranked from worst...
Dec 13, 2019 · We delve back into more than a century of A Christmas Carol movies to find the best and worst adaptations of Dickens' festive tale...
